Website and app blocker
Software that makes distracting sites genuinely unavailable on a schedule
Tools that block chosen sites and apps across all your devices on a schedule, ideally with a locked mode you cannot casually override. The point is to move the decision from the moment of temptation to a calmer moment in advance. Any blocker you can turn off in two clicks is decoration rather than a tool.
Who backs it
Sorted by strength of stance
- Ali AbdaalRecommends
Doctor turned YouTuber · author of Feel-Good Productivity
Opal blocks distracting apps outright, and he calls it an effective way to remove his online distractions.
Source: aliabdaal.com: 15 tools to manage and achieve your goals - Cal NewportRecommends
Computer science professor · author of Deep Work
Has long advised hard blocking software as a way to start deep work training, and he is dismissive of gentler app-based wellness nudges.
Source: calnewport.com: digital wellness for grown ups
Aimed at the same thing
Other entries filed under focus or productivity.
- AppFREE, no costBacked by 1 of 44 stacks: 1 do it, 0 recommend it, 0 have discussed it
- App$$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.Backed by 1 of 44 stacks: 1 do it, 0 recommend it, 0 have discussed it
- App$$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.
The Great Courses
The Great Courses
Recorded lecture series on history, science and economics, on disc or by subscription
Backed by 1 of 44 stacks: 1 do it, 0 recommend it, 0 have discussed it - HabitFREE, no cost
Daily reading
A fixed daily reading block, usually books rather than feeds
Backed by 19 of 44 stacks: 17 do it, 2 recommend it, 0 have discussed it - HabitFREE, no cost
Early rising
A fixed, early wake time, often before anyone else is awake
Backed by 9 of 44 stacks: 8 do it, 0 recommend it, 1 have discussed it - Book$$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.
Deep Work
The case that uninterrupted concentration is a rare and valuable skill
Backed by 5 of 44 stacks: 0 do it, 5 recommend it, 0 have discussed it
App entry · notes paraphrased from cited sources, quoted excerpts copied from the transcript they link to. Not medical advice. Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or reviewed by anyone listed. How this works.